The present invention relates generally to electrical voice communication and, more particularly, concerns a method and apparatus for achieving interactive communication of recorded voice messages.
Voice messaging systems have been well-known for many years. Typically, they operate very much like an answering machine, providing recording of voice messages in the recipient's voice mailbox when he is not available to answer his telephone. Although technology has been available to assist the recipient in reviewing and managing his voicemail messages, for example Visual Voicemail, the basic nature of voice messaging has not changed, namely, each recipient has his own dedicated mailbox under his exclusive control and, once a caller has recorded a message to the recipient, the caller has no further means to gain access to that message. For example, the caller has no further means to gain access to that message, such as inquiring if the message was indeed listened to by the recipient. As another example, although some mobile telephone voice messaging systems have allowed a caller to go directly to voicemail, there is no sure way for a caller to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) number to get directed, at his choice, into a callee's voicemail system. Moreover, the kind of messaging interactivity available with email or text messaging has never been available with recorded voice messages. The particularly desirable, different the apparent benefits of voice messaging of being personal and expressive of emotion.
Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of existing voice messaging systems. It is specifically an object of the present invention to provide interactive communication in the system employing a recorded voice messages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an interactive voice messaging method and apparatus which could be useful immediately and extensively interoperable with existing public networks, such as the PSP and in the Internet. It is also contemplated that the present invention should support mobile users and should allow them to access the voice messaging service easily and with flexibility.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a system which provides communication of recorded voice messages over a network among a plurality of users having voice communication devices has a voice message server connected to the network which includes a receiver which receives from a sending user's communication device a voice message signal including a header component and a recorded voice message component is stored at the server in association with the corresponding header. The header component identifies the sending user and intended recipient user, and it is transmitted to the communication device of the intended recipient identified in the header component. The corresponding voice message component is transmitted to the recipient user's communication device in response to the recipient user's communication device requesting it. The recipient user may send a responsive voice message to the server addressed to the sending user.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a voice messaging executable program running on the sending user's voice communication device records the user's voice message and creates a voice message component therefrom. Based on user input, it also creates a corresponding header component. It also creates the voice message signal and communicates it to the voice message server. This program also receives from the voice message server a header component of a voice message signal from another user and, responsive to user input, requests from the voice message server a voice message component of a voice message signal from another user.